Pathfinder: Rise of the Runelords

Sundamar's Journal 6

Fireday, Rova 6, 4707

31

MAR/09

I am finding it hard to concentrate my mind enough to enter my resting trance. There are so many unexplained events hanging like threads from a cheap cloak. Every time I pull at one, another seems to slip lose and present itself.

Ive been thinking about the night of the goblin raid on Sandpoint, and the grave of the old priest. From what we were told the priest died in a fire, along with his daughter in a string of tragic events the locals refer to as the “late unpleasantness.” It has been surmised, by the authorities of this town, that goblins raided the grave, for what reasons no one seems to suspect, and made off with the body. As I have just come to know this town, I cant be certain if there ever really was a body in that smashed casket, but goblins do appear to have had a hand in it as we did find one of their crude “dog slicers” broken and discarded near the site. I have retraced the events of that night in my mind. The goblins seemed to have made themselves known as they entered the town, through what means we have yet to determine, and were routed rather quickly. No one seems to know by what route they used to enter the town, or what route they used to escape. Our patrol of the outskirts gave us little evidence as to weather or not the creatures simply walked into the town from the surrounding countryside. It seems reasonable to think they did as the town has very little in the way of defenses about its outskirts, but something is telling me they have at least one other way, or possibly many other ways to slip in and out of the town. Goblins are not known for their brains, but they are sneaky enough to find unseen paths. I consider the goblin in the human child’s bedroom as evidence to this. It has been surmised that goblin was simply a left over from the raid, hiding in that closet, waiting to strike, but I tend to believe the goblins have found another route into the village. My days in Riddleport have taught me about such alternate routes. Smugglers and pirates are famous for having secret tunnels in port cities, and I am sure Sandpoint is no exception.

The body of the priest, if there was one, was somehow taken from the city. Upon inspection of the graveyard, I found that it is surrounded by a good fence with a lock that the grounds keeper maintains. Although no fence could ever be enough to keep a tenacious goblin at bay for long, this fence would have proved difficult for even a band of goblins if they had human remains in tow. Somehow the goblins scaled the wall, dug up the body, exhumed the corpse, and hauled it out of the town with no one noticing. The raid would have made good cover for this, but the little devils would have had to have worked very quickly, and would have had to have had a good plan for their escape. I site this as further evidence that the goblins had someone working with them, possibly directing them.

We have heard that several goblin tribes have been acting in unison on raids of late. This is most curious, as no goblin king or chief has been able to unite the chaotic lot in the past, recent events point to outside involvement. Adding to that, a goblin interrogated after the raid spoke of “another longshanks,” or tall fellow.

So we come to it then, my thoughts on what is behind the strange events of late. I cite the letter Valeros and I found in Amieko’s chambers as evidence that her father has a hand in the mystery, and he could be either directing the creatures, or more likely simply giving aid to another shadow player in this game. As I write this, I am making plans to see the Mayor this noon-day, and ask that we have a writ to search the glass works, not only for fair Amieko, but also any evidence that her father is giving aid to the goblins. In my mind I can almost picture a secret tunnel below the works, the very same I surmise the goblins used to sneak in and out of the town. As it is, I shall never get any rest until this ordeal is over, and Im sure Valeros will have no objections to me waking him for the purpose of rescuing Amieko.